BFFs sorta
by artemisdevotee
Summary: Zoe Jackson has a good life, there are no monsters stalking her, she has good grades, etc. But then she gets her senior mentor, and everything changes. And not for the better. Super short chapter now up. You can't stop me!
1. Meeting Aaylish

It's the first day of ninth grade, and I'm late for school. I can hear my parents calling me from downstairs.

I never wanted to go to school. My brother says it's easy, but he's different.

He's like mom.

I'm so tired. I might as well lead an army while on morphine for all the good my brain is worth right now. I can hear my dad walking up the stairs. He's carrying something that sloshes.

Oh no. He's bringing my equivalent of caffeine.

"Wake **up** Zoe! It's time to be a freshman!" He shouts as he pours a bucket of water on me. Instantly I spring out of bed and onto the windowsill without realizing it, totally awake and now actually ready to lead an army.

"I'm up!" I shout back, as if he didn't know that. My dad leaves and I get dressed. Before I leave my room I touch the bed and it dries. Minor details.

Mornings are hectic at my house. I think it could be a reality show. "Can a father actually take care of four children while his wife is at work?" Mom leaves early to go to the construction of her new building and dad goes to work late every single day.

My brother is up at the crack of dawn studying again. I wonder how long until he proves the Pythagorean Theorem false or something.

The twins are normal…well as normal as two four year old half-bloods can get. They eat their breakfast, pulling each other's hair and spilling their milk. Dad looks hassled. He's pale and has dark circles under his eyes. My brother probably had another nightmare. Caleb always has nightmares, it's a thing of his.

I say goodbye to my crazy family and head out the door and across the street to Mr. Connor Stoll's house. I let myself into their garage just as Jeremy, the oldest, also enters the garage.

"Whoa, Jackson, you're like a ghost, just keep appearing like that. You got your mom's hat or something? Get in the car." He says all in one breath. I ignore the two or three questions in that sentence and get a free ride to school. Jeremy explains high school to me in a very vague manner.

"…and well…you get senior mentors. The teachers pair you up with someone who will be your best friend for a year. They match by hobbies and interests, so you'll probably get someone who likes Greek Myths, swims, and swordfights. Maybe dancing too. You just started dance, right?" He asks. I nod. The senior mentor system sounds like fun.

When I get to school, I am given the freshman treatment, which means you get chased to your first class by juniors, get your schedules and planners, and meet all the crazy teachers. Jeremy warns me about some particularly vicious juniors, then heads off to find out who his freshman is. I avoid the juniors like they are monsters and I am…well…me.

Little Bianca Di Angelo skips off down the hall to her first day of fourth grade. She'll have them all under her thumb by the end of the week, I'm sure. As I walk down the hall I run directly into a mob of seniors. Some of the stragglers smile at me and welcome me to the family. I'm so busy returning the kindness that I run directly into a redhead at the center of the group. She drops her heavy textbook on my foot and knocks me over. I can hear a collective gasp. Either this girl is a queen bee or she has a temper. Or maybe both. She bends down and retrieves her book.

"Sorry about that." She says, as she extends her hand. I take it, but almost draw back.

She is too cold to be at school. She is too cold to be alive. She is too cold to have been human ever in her life. She notices my carefully suppressed shock and smiles. Her smile is frightening. It makes me think she knows something about me that she shouldn't.

I'll admit it. I stalk this redheaded senior during orientation. I notice and learn everything about her. She's a basketball star. A star student. The lead singer in a band, which means little to me. She glides instead of walking. She seems to notice everything. There is no way she's human.

Now, of course, I know all about that. She could be a daughter of Hades or something, but the way she smiled at me causes me to think differently. I'm thinking monster.

But then I would've noticed it right away. I would've sensed something in the initial mob of seniors in the hall. I would've sensed her before she turned the corner. My radar would've gone off right as I walked in the school.

She had to be something else. Of course, I had no idea what.

Later that day, I sit in the middle row of the theater, listening to the other freshmen get their seniors. The girl with the red hair sashays across the stage to the microphone.

"Hi. My name is Aaylish Castellen," she looks at her palm, like she's written something there, "And my freshman's name is Zoe Jackson, so she'd better get up here so I can actually see who she is."

I've heard that last name somewhere before.


	2. Meeting Alex

I ascend the stairs slowly, buying myself time to analyze my new friend. She taps her foot impatiently.

"Come on froshie. We haven't got all day." She says impatiently. I scurry up the stairs, still staring at her. I look out at the rest of the high school body. My brother is also looking at Aaylish, only with narrowed eyes. I guess he doesn't like the looks of her either. We sing a stupid song with a stupid teacher who is way too into it. One of my fellow freshmen catches up to me on the way back to the classrooms.

"You are soo lucky! You got Aaylish Castellan as your senior. She's so cool; she plays basketball and sings in a band. She's also really pretty; my brother has had a crush on her since he was in like, seventh grade." She says all in one breath. I nod vaguely.

I am already worried about her brother. I try and find my way around the school with only a schedual and a list of room numbers. On my way to Social Studies I am stopped by another senior. He's very tall, very blond, has very reflective glasses and looks very icy.

"Watch yourself around Aaylish. Don't get her angry. Remember, beauty is only skin deep." He says cryptically. Then he is gone. First I think he's Aaylish's boyfriend, jealous of me, maybe he thinks I'm bi or something. Then I think he's a friend. Maybe he knows more about Aaylish than the normal person would. Then I realize that I'm late for Social Studies. I slide into a seat with Netta Stoll, Jeremy's younger sister. She smiles at me.

"Gods, I thought you went and died or something. You didn't miss anything, so don't worry."

"Do you know anything about a really creepy senior-" I start to ask her. She cuts me off.

"Blond, stiff, and tall? Wearing nifty shades?" She guesses. I nod.

"That's Alexandre. Don't worry, he freaks everyone out."

"Who is he, exactly?"

"…No one really knows. My brother says he just showed up one day." She admits. I sigh, defeated. I can't even find out information about someone who warned me. Grr…

I confess to stalking Alexandre for the week. Things I find out about him:

1. He almost never takes of his shades

2. When he does, he either puts on a helmet or puts the shades immediately back on

3. He never. freaking. smiles.

4. I think if I poked him he'd melt or shatter, he's so icy-stiff

5. He actually hangs around Aaylish a lot, but it looks like he's stalking her because he's always behind a door or something

6. He drives himself to a fencing school every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

7. He tutors juniors in math on Wednesday s

8. I think he's watching me.

9. But I can't tell because of the shades

10. He doesn't know how to swim. Don't ask how I found that out.

What the Hell? What's up with him? What's up with the fencing lessons? What's up with the icy manner? What is up with the Goddamn shades?? I ask Netta her opinion.

"My brother thinks Alex is missing an eye. But that's just my brother." She remarks. I am no closer to my goal of solving the mystery.

Alex's car breaks down the week after that. His dad drives him to school. Everyone is super shocked because no one was aware that Alex **had** a dad. He is driven to school in what looks like a military style vehicle. The windows that everyone wants to see into desperately are tinted heavily. The driver is wearing a dark coat and fedora. Alex steps out of the car's shotgun window, wearing his shades as always. I run to my classroom before he can notice me watching him. I get several e-mails that night.

**From:** princessofthemountain  
**Sent:** Tuesday, 11:00 AM  
**To:** Jackson, Zoe  
**Subject:** Senior/Frosh "Date"

_Hey Zo._

_Can I call you Zo? It's cute. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to skip the High School dance and go for ice cream with a whole bunch of other seniors and their freshmen. It'll be way cooler than the dance. I also heard from Jeremy Stoll who heard it from his sister Netta that you hate dances for some reason. If that's true we could go see a movie or something._

_Aaylish_

The next e-mail is a little less bubbly.

**From:** Yeuxmulticolore  
**Sent:** Tuesday, 11:06 AM  
**To:** Jackson, Zoe  
**Subject:** Regarding Senior/Frosh "Date"

_Zoe Thalia Jackson: _

_Don't go for ice cream. Stay at the dance._

_Alex._

I am sort of really freaked out. One that he sent it so fast after Aaylish sent hers and two that he knows my full name. Which is bad, very bad. The next e-mail, however, makes me wonder even more.

**From:** princessofthemountain  
**Sent:** Tuesday, 11:08 AM  
**To:** Jackson, Zoe  
**Subject:** Senior/Frosh "Date"

_Ignore Alex._

_Aaylish _

I shut down the computer.


	3. Meeting a Police Officer

After I shut down the computer, the Gods decide they hate me at the moment and make the phone ring.

"Hello?" I ask tentatively. The phone crackles.

"Hey? Zo? Hi this is Aaylish."

"Hi Aaylish."

"So I hope you got my e-mail about ice cream. I know there was this boy Alex online too, but just ignore him."

"Um…okay."

"He wants to cause trouble." She insists.

"Okay." I mumble.

"You don't sound sure." She chides.

"I am."

"Okay good. So I don't know if you want to see any movies, there's that documentary on Michael Phelps, I heard he's like, your hero. But there's also a docu-drama on Atlantis. I heard you really like water."

She has no idea.

"Sounds good." I manage. The next call is from Alex, says the caller ID. I don't pick up. He doesn't leave a message. It's a win-win situation. My brother enters my room.

"Who's on the phone?" he asks.

"Your mother."

"You are gaining nothing by insulting my mother."

"Your feet smell."

My brother leaves. I am happy. At school the next day we hear more information (hearsay). They say Alex's dad is either:

a. A dictator

b. A drug dealer

c. An assassin

d. A ninja

e. All of the above

I don't really care. Alex gets out of the car again…

OMG WITHOUT HIS SHADES OMG SOMEONE GET THE CAMERA NOW OMG OMG HOLY SH-

He reaches into the car again and puts them on.

Bah.

He seems to look directly at me, but he could be looking at a crow in the sky for all I know. It still seems like he follows me for the whole day. Whenever I turn around, he's there. He arranges to go for ice cream with his freshman (a completely normal person) at the same place Aaylish, her friends, and me. He waits to see which movie we will see. Aaylish doesn't tell anyone. She picks me up at my house that night before the dance. We go for ice cream.

Alex is there, predictably. Aaylish gets ticked.

"You good for nothing wannabe protector! I'm not hurting her, and you don't even know her!" She yells. I wait for us to get kicked out of the Baskin Robins. The employees seem to start to tell her to get out, but she fixes them with a savage glare and we are served our ice cream by trembling workers. Aaylish sneaks me out under the cover of a new crowd of people entering the ice cream place. She shoves me in her car and pulls my hood over my face.

"Keep down." She whispers harshly. "I don't want Alex following us." She adds in explanation. I look out the window and see Alex dragging his freshman along the sidewalk to his car. Well, it seems not to be his car.

Apparently he jacked his dad's car. Poor freshman. Alex, I find out soon, is a very aggressive driver. Aaylish leans back against her seat.

"You wanna play it hard Alex, fine." She mutters more to herself than anyone. She closes her eyes halfway and floors the damn car.

I think I start to cry. Aaylish sighs heavily.

"Calm down, Zo. It'll be fine."

I start to hear (cop) sirens. OH NO. Aaylish doesn't care, she keeps the car floored. Alex seems to have been lost. The police keep up the chase. She finally stops for them. A police officer approaches the car, gun drawn. Aaylish rolls down the window.

"Good evening Miss, do you know how fast you were going?"

"Around 97 miles per hour officer, why do you ask?" She responds sweetly.

"Miss…have you been…drinking?" He asks tentatively. Aaylish laughs without humor.

"Yes. I had an Oreo smoothie at Baskin Robins about five minutes ago."

"I mean alcohol."

"No, my dad says it dulls the battle reflexes." She explains patiently. I look at the officer. He has a little 6 embroidered on his shoulder. Cabin six…uncle!

"Is that Zoe Jackson?" He asks, bewildered.

"Yes?" I answer meekly.

"Do you need help-" He starts to ask. Aaylish rolls her eyes and floors it again. The police officer swears and runs back to his car. We are chased to the cinema. Aaylish pulls me out of the car and pulls my hood off. She switches the license plate on her car. I am very confused.

"Let's go see the movie." Aaylish decides. She buys two tickets for the Atlantis movie. As we are entering the theater, Alex and his very disheveled freshman burst through the doors. We hide in the middle of the crowd in the theater. Alex pulls his freshman into the theater just as the movie starts. Aaylish pushes me down in my seat. We watch the movie. Aaylish pulls me out during the few seconds before the credits. This is not a very fun outing. My policeman-uncle stops us outside of the theater. He asks us if we escaped the thing that was chasing us and if we need to be escorted home.

It is not an offer. It is a command. 'Let us escort you home.'

They know where I live; I am the chief's niece. They tell my parents to take better care of me. My mom nods. My dad laughs. The police ask Aaylish where she lives.

"Oh, I can get there by myself." She assures them.

"You are a…half-" My uncle starts.

"Yeah…pretty much." Aaylish cuts him off.

"Which cabin?"

"…a…number?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were unclaimed…"

"It's fine." She says coldly. Then she walks out the door. By the time the police follow her, she is gone.

I see Alex's car waiting down the street. He starts to follow her.

I worry.


	4. Speaking Frengleek

School is (predictably) normal the next day. The only un-normal thing is that Alex seems to be missing until lunch. He shows up at noon, wearing his shades as always and looking majorly ticked off. Aaylish gives him looks throughout the day that alter between sweet and smug and malicious. I think she won an argument. Alex sits by himself in the library after school. There are no juniors to tutor. He reads a book that is thick and looks like a scrapbook or a photo album. He frowns at it. He keeps flipping between pages and pages. He backtracks. He squints at the book. He mutters to it. He sighs and closes it and looks straight at me. I don't know what to do, he looks up so fast. I try to look occupied but he gets up from his seat and takes a chair at my lonesome table.

"I see you went for ice cream and a movie." He says bitterly. I nod, keeping my head down. Don't make eye contact…

"I warned you about that." He continues. I nod again. Why won't he just go away?

"Don't go next time." He pressures. I look up.

"Why not?" I challenge. He looks mildly amused at my response.

"Aaylish is different." He states simply. I roll my eyes.

"So am I." I reason. He nods.

"I know." And with that, he gets up, shoulders his backpack, and leaves.

I think I shall ask my parents if I can switch schools or live at camp.

(0OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO0)

That night I tell my parents about Alex and his oh-so-cryptic-and-epic warnings. My dad looks like he would be worried, but now he's just concerned on getting the twins to sleep.

"Zoe, you'll meet lots of cryptic people in your life."

"But he-"

"That know who you are and what you are. You're right to suspect him of something, it's usually not a good sign."

"Well I know **that**." I say flatly. Emmy starts babbling in what sounds like a mix of English, Greek, and French. I think mom has been at her. Dad stares at her. One, Emmy doesn't usually babble. She talks like a normal person. Two, she's babbling in freaking Frengleek.

I made a word!

My mom smiles at Emmy and also at Bram, who has started to copy Emmy's word-things. She coaxes them to sleep. My dad sighs heavily.

"Why is it that they only listen to you?" He asks, wonderingly. My mom smiles smugly.

"They like me better." She explains jokingly.

My brother goes to bed. The twins sleep like rocks. My parents go to bed. I stay up. I Iris-Message Netta with shower steam. She is still awake. Her whole house is still awake. Crazy Stolls.

"Hi Zoe! What's up?" She asks, way too happy.

"Alex is-"

"What? Scary? Intimidating? Stony? Sexy as Hell?" She tries to guess the ending of my sentence. I am slowly getting fed up wither her.

"I'm serious Netta. I'm getting freaked out by Alex and all his problems with Aaylish." I insist. Netta frowns.

"Put a restraining order on him."

"I can't do that."

"Sure you can. Your half-uncle is chief of New York police. Your dad's cousin is running for President."

"That doesn't automatically give me authority." I explain. Netta frowns again.

"It doesn't?" She asks. I shake my head. Her dad calls her. She disconnects. I am left in my shower, still very confused.

I should not have stayed up late. I am dead even after my dad pours water on me, even after Emmy and Bram babble some more Frengleek directly into my ear, even after my brother yells that Pi is exactly three to see if I am paying attention to him. I am not, apparently. I am dead until I see Alex.

He is walking around campus without his shades. He seems to have forgotten them not on purpose, because he keeps his hood pulled up and his eyes half closed. We have concluded he may actually either need the shades, like he's albino or something, or he may be forced to wear them by the government.

Then again we are crazy freshman, half of whom have scary crushes on Alex. I don't.

However, I am leaning towards government. I don't really know, though. There aren't many tall blonde seventeen-year-olds who are wanted by the feds. He could be from another country, or course, but he has a New York accent. I can tell, having been told that I have one myself.

I have also learned something about Alex and Aaylish.

They live in the SAME HOUSE and they have since BIRTH.


	5. Halfbook

After this revelation, I fake sick. I call my dad. I go home. I lock myself in my room and go online.

My homepage is a webpage that the Stoll brothers have developed. It is called and is, as is expected, it is a facebook for half-bloods. I change my status first, because even though no one is on, I might as well.

**Zoe Jackson is confused.**

I get comments almost instantly.

**Nico DiAngelo says:** So am I, stupid speechwriters don't know grammar.

**Daniel Edison says:** Why are you online, young lady?

**Nico DiAngelo says: **I'm sure she has a good reason…

**Daniel Edison says:** Nico, you're not helping.

**Silena Beauregaurd says:** Hi honey, is everything okay?

I ignore my comments and search:

Aaylish Castellan

**The Results:**

**Aaylish Castellan-Goode High School**

**Luke Castellan-MGM Studios**

**Kelli Castellan-U.S. Navy**

**Alex-Goode High School**

I click on Aaylish's page. I am happy that it is not like facebook and I do not need to add her. Her profile picture is her leaning against a wall looking like a model.

**Aaylish Castellan is quitting school and going to work soon 3**

She has two friends: Luke Castellan and Kelli Castellan, who are obviously her relatives. Alex has not added her, which does not surprise me. However, I am confused as to why Alex showed up on the search results. I click on Alex's profile.

**Alex needs to buy new glasses….his trainer has broken them.**

He has one friend, Luke Castellan. His profile says nothing about anything other than that he loves ice-cream, which is too random. I add Aaylish before I can change my mind. All of a sudden I get an IM.

**Princessofthemountain: **Zoe, did you just add me on halfbook?

**Zomo: **Maybe?

**Princessofthemountain:** You. Added. Me.

**Zomo:** Yes?

**Princessofthemountain:** Don't put question marks, it makes you seem weak

**Zomo:** Aaylish, I'm sorry if I did something wrong

**Princessofthemountain:** YOU BITCH YOU LIFE RUINER AND-OH SHIT ALEX NEEDS THE COMPUTER

**Zomo: **Okay?

**Yeuxmulticolore: **Yeah. Yeah everything's fine…get offline. NOW

**Zomo:** Why? Is this Alex? Is everything ok?

**Yeuxmulticolore: **I said go away, Zoe. What part of go away do you not understand?

**Zomo:** You sound like my brother.

**Yeuxmulticolore has gone offline**


	6. Family Ties

Unfortunately, Aaylish chooses that online conversation as the starting point of stalking and plotting to kill me. Even though I am her freshman, and therefore she should be looking out for me, I notice that there were several times when there is an attempted kidnapping going on. For example, on the Monday after Christmas, I am assaulted outside the dance studio by three dracnae. They drag me to the docks and load me on a ship, where Aaylish meets me.

"I hope you don't think you're going to get away with this." She smirks. I stare at her.

"What? Just because I added you on an online networking system?" I ask incredulously. She slaps me.

"No. Because you know who I am now, and if you were a smart girl, if any of your mother rubbed off on you, if you even had a brain, you would tell Chiron." She explains to me like I'm five. I kick her and she slaps me again. "Do you want to fight, granddaughter of Poseidon? Because I'll fight you." She threatens. I spit in her face.

"Bring it on." I challenge. She sneers at me.

"Very well. ALEX!" She calls. Alex appears in the doorway, looking sick.

"What." He says to her in monotone. She rolls her eyes.

"Just get me a sword and some sort of shield, moron." She commands. Alex stiffens.

"You're planning to kill her." He realizes. "I'm not going to let you."

"Get me a sword!" She screams. Alex shakes his head.

"No. I was cleaning your father's storeroom and I found this:" He shows her a tattered book, the same one I saw him looking at in the library. He waves it in her face. "This proves I'm not your freaking brother." He spits. Aaylish goes to slap him too. He dodges her. Alex grabs me and throws Aaylish against the wall when she tries to stop him. For the second time that day I am dragged off. This time, I get to ride in a car. Alex has the car in the direction of Camp Half-Blood when I finally decide to make conversation.

"How do you know where camp is?" I ask quietly.

"I found maps and directions in the store room. If I'm going the wrong way, please tell me." He replies nonchalantly. That is when I draw my courage together and ask the question I've been dying to ask for months.

"Why do you always wear sunglasses?"

There are several moments of silence while I brace myself for a severe insult or even another slap. Instead, Alex sighs.

"Mr. Castellan makes me wear them."

"Why?"

"It's because of my eyes. They're different colors."

"That's a stupid reason. I mean, there's a girl in my class who has one brown eye and one blue eye."

"He's trying to hide me."

"What do you mean? Who is he hiding you from?"

"You. Your siblings. Your parents."

"Why do you live with Mr. Castellan? You said he's not your dad. Were you kidnapped?" I can't stop myself from asking so many questions. Alex sighs, but seems to decide he can tell me.

"Yes. I was a baby. Not even a week old."

"So you don't know who your parents are."

"Well…after I cleaned the store room, I found out." Alex takes off his shades and looks me in the eyes, and something clicks in my mind.

"You mean…I'm your…but, my parents…" I can't form a coherent sentence. One of Alex's eyes is sea green. The other is storm gray.


End file.
